GRADUATE COLLECTION - CSM BA JEWELLERY DESIGN 2018 |

Gold jewellery is widely symbolic in India with a lot of new jewellery presented and gifted to mark occasions like weddings. However, this jewellery is often disregarded and not worn after the occasion and so the ideals and symbolism surrounding Indian jewellery don't resonate with me as strongly. As the kitchen is a place in an Indian household which is often the heart of the home, where food is also used to mark celebrations, a lot of domestic memories I hold reside in the objects used here, which presents them with new identities and sentiment, regardless of their material value. Wooden spoons are materially worthless however I have a number in my home which has been in my family for generations. Turmeric was the main ingredient in my collection that I felt fused the gap between Indian cooking and jewellery, with its ability to vividly stain the wood a rich yellow, gold, responding to the richness in Indian gold and Indian food. By re-purposing wooden spoons into Indian jewellery using turmeric I've transformed these tools for living, into accessories that celebrate staining - a taboo that occurs when cooking - and the humble wooden spoon. Its also a response to the wasteful nature of gifted gold jewellery - also including Indian, recycled jewellery - in south-Asian culture by using repurposed wooden spoons instead of precious materials and staining as a way of adding ‘value’ without adding any at all.